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Designs on success
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March 28, 1997: 5:28 p.m. ET
Designer Eileen Fisher strives to show other women they can succeed
From Correspondent Janine Sharell
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NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Women in the United States are starting their own businesses at nearly twice the national average and, increasingly, there are more and more established role models that entrepreneurs can emulate.
Eileen Fisher is one such person. Business is booming for the designer, who works in a renovated warehouse across the Hudson River from New York City's bustling fashion center.
Fisher started her clothing company twelve years ago with $350. After getting a $40,000 order for her designs, she needed to raise capital.
"I thought 'Well, I am in business' (so) I went to the bank and they said 'no,'" Fisher recalled, laughing.
Fisher got creative, though. She offered family and friends 2 percent interest on a three-month loan. It paid off. Today, her company is worth $66 million.
"The business part is something that I think I just have an instinct about," she says. "I don't think I knew that when I first started. I think it's a great American dream story, a possibilities kind of story."
It is also an inspiration to members of the New York chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, who recently named Fisher their businesswoman of the year.
Carol Wall, president of the association, hopes that other women will be able to follow Fisher's example. (123K WAV) or (123K AIFF)
Fisher is, however, an unconventional role model. She avoids formal business plans and considers mistakes part of the job. "We make mistakes every single day," she says.
Those mistakes are less of a problem these days as her business is growing an average of 48 percent for the last four years.
Employees aren't left out of the company's achievements. They are encouraged to contribute new ideas in every area of the company and success is rewarded through a generous profit sharing plan.
And, Fisher and her employees put effort into giving back, sharing both profits and fashion with organizations such as "My Sister's Place," a local women's shelter. 
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